Bomb threat to 5 temples in Punjab, security stepped up

Amritsar: Security forces in Punjab are on alert after bomb threats were sent to five temples on Thursday -- Durgiana Temple in Amritsar, Mukteshwar Dham in Pathankot, Devi Talab Mandir in Jalandhar, Bathinda's Maiserkhana Temple and Kali Mata Mandir in PatialaThe threat email was received by the control room of Punjab secretariat in Chandigarh.Arun Khanna, general secretary of Sri Durgiana Committee, said the temple management had not received any email. Thousands of devotees visit the temple, believed to have been originally built in the 16th Century and rebuilt in 1921 almost as a replica of the Golden Temple.Amritsar police have established nakas (checkpoints) around the temple premises and intensified frisking and search operations. Khanna, however, said that nakas alone would not be sufficient and urged police to formulate a comprehensive security plan for the temple to address any potential threat.In Pathankot, SP (investigation) Manoj Kumar said adequate forces have been deployed at Mukteshwar Temple, and that search operations and security checks were being carried out in and around the temple premises as a precautionary measure. The cave temple is one of the most important shrines in Punjab.